


Blessing In Disguise

by CelestialLink



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Anxiety, Brotherly Love, Divorce, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Healing, Time Travel, Toddlers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 01:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14706333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialLink/pseuds/CelestialLink
Summary: Link suffers with anxiety and has his whole life, until one day when a little boy shows up and changes everything.





	Blessing In Disguise

The night sky lit up as a streak of lightning spread across the inky blankness. Following shortly, an explosion of thunder erupted as though the heavens themselves had burst open. Beads of sweat began to fall down the boy's forehead. His heart, racing so fast he feared that it may give out, ached with fear and anxiety. Breathing quick, short breaths, the boy ran from room to room, not knowing where he was, but wishing more than ever he was back home in his own bed. His feet padded across the floors as he ran, tears threatening to fall. The boy stopped running when he heard the sounds of another human. The little boy settled down where he was, hiding behind the couch and listened to the sound of a man talking. He was oddly comforted, yet he didn't understand why. He listened.

"Rhett, I-I'm sorry for waking you, I know it's late, but brother, I can't sleep. A-and it feels like there's someone here. You think you could maybe come over? It's so lonely too. I'm sure no one is here, but I'm freaked out."

Rhett and Link's families were away on a mission trip together while Rhett and Link stayed back home. The boy could only hear half the conversation, but it was enough to figure out that the man in the other room was going to be expecting company soon. He heard the creaking of a bed and the sound of clothes rustling. Before long, he could see the man walk out of his bedroom. His silhouette was one of a tall, thin man. He was wearing a baggy shirt and pajama pants, his hair a mess. The boy hid further behind the couch, squeezing himself between it and wall. He could no longer see the man, his eyes closed as his breathing began to quicken. He tried to keep quiet, but he was terribly frightened. He could sense that a light was turned on and he heard the man start a coffee maker. The little boy moved a slightly closer to the corner where he could watch the man who was now in the kitchen. He looked at the man, his back was to the boy. His hair was dark brown, peppered with streaks of grey. A pair of glasses seemed to be on his face. Gripping the counter, the man yawned. The sounds of the storm outside were getting increasingly louder and stronger, and the boy wondered how much longer he could stay hidden before being discovered.

The answer to that question was not long at all. The man turned around and started to walk towards the couch. The boy quickly ducked out of sight as much as he could, but he wasn't fast enough. The man froze and knelt down. The two's eyes met, and in that moment, all fear drained from the boy. He felt surprisingly calm, as though he was looking at his own reflection.

"Oh my gosh... y-you're me," Link gaped, staring at the two year old version of himself. Immediately, Little Link darted out from the couch and wrapped his arms around Link. Link blinked slowly, and then picked the boy up. "How did you get here? Oh gosh, I bet you're scared. Listen, everything will be okay. I'm you, all grown up." Link's mind was running at a mile a minute, thoughts and words all swirling through his head like a whirlwind. Here, is his arms, he held himself as a two year old. How it happened or why the boy was here at all was a mystery to Link. Maybe it was all a dream, or maybe he was just lonelyand tired, his mind playing tricks on him. 

Little Link buried his face in his older self's shoulder. Link blinked, and rubbed the boy's back. "I'm not sure how you get here, uh, Little Link, but I promise to keep you safe. No harm will come to you, I'll find a way to get you back home." Carrying the small boy, Link sat down on the couch. His voice crackled, a little gruff from tiredness, but he began to sing. Memories flooded Link's head, songs his mother would lull him to sleep with, and he sang them now. A tear rolled down his cheek as the nostalgia fully kicked in. It was a tear of sad happiness. He missed his mother, he missed being so young that a simple song sung by a loved one could melt away all his fears and send him to a peaceful sleep. 

Yet, he was also happynbecause he could remember his own mother doing it. He could remember those times and be grateful they ever happened. Little Link had started to cry before, letting his tears of fear out, but now, Link noticed the boy had stopped crying. His ragged breathing had soothed itself into a calm, steady motion. His head lay heavily on Link's shoulder, the whole weight of the boy pressed against Link's torso as the boy slept. A smile danced upon his lips gently, and he noticed himself relaxing, despite the storm and the knowledge that Rhett would be there soon and he mustn't let himself sleep. In spite of that, Link soon found he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and they slowly fluttered shut.

 

Rhett was a bit worried about Link, he had to admit. Getting a call so late at night meant that Link had to be distraught enough to wake him and have him come over at such an early hour. The drive to Link's house was quicker than usual, being as very few people are out at this time. By the time he arrived, it was about 3:20 am. Rhett got out of his car and walked to the door. He knocked softly and waited. No answer. He knocked again, and when he once again had no response, Rhett grabbed the spare key to Link's house and unlocked the door. He stepped inside, immediately noticing the lights were on. He slipped off his shoes, bare feet feeling the cold of the hardwood floor below and softly padding as he walked around, searching for his friend.

Link's bedroom was empty, the bed unmade as though someone, Link, had been in it, but had gotten out. Peering around, he noticed that someone was on the couch. Rhett smiled and walked over, but then he froze. Link was right, someone else was there. The Link he knew and loved was holding a small boy. The boy's hair was blonde, but appeared to be darkening into brown at the roots. Link was sound asleep, and so was the boy. Rhett was relieved to see his friend had fallen asleep finally, but he was startled by the small child asleep in Link's arms.

"Link? Link, wake up," Rhett whispered as he knelt down in front of his best friend's sleeping figure. The younger of the two men's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Rhett, oh I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Rhett chuckled softly, "I don't mind that, but Link, there's a kid sleeping on your shoulder, and last time I checked, your youngest son was taller than that." Link's eyes widened with realization, the dark haired man's mind still waking up.

"Oh, right, um well. He's me. When I was about two, I think. I don't know how he got here, and I don't know why he's here, but I need to take care of him until we can figure out how to get him home. I got him to fall asleep, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Honestly, it's a relief-" Link yawned,"that you can see him and that I'm not going insane." Link stood up, the boy still sound asleep on his shoulder. "I think I'm going to get him in Lando's bed, since Lando has my bed from when I was growing up. I'll be right back."

With that, Link left and Rhett was alone to try to process everything he just heard. A two year old version of Link somehow showed up and now Link was going to take care of him until they could figure out how to get him back home. It's not everyday something like this happens, and it certainly didn't help that Link seemed so calm about it.

When he returned, Link found Rhett sitting on the couch, blankly staring forward. The shorter sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Rhett? You in there?" 

Rhett snapped out of his thoughts, "Oh yeah, sorry. Just, trying to take everything in, I guess. I'm willing to stay and help you take care of him if you'll let me stay in the spare room. Two year olds are a handful, and you don't even have Christy to help this time."

Link smiled and took his hand off Rhett's shoulder, folding it in his lap with his other hand instead. "Yeah, that'd be very generous of you. I really appreciate this, Rhett. You get some sleep, okay? I feel bad for dragging you out here so late."

"Hey," Rhett started, softly, "I don't mind. I was worried about you and to be honest, I'm lonely without my family too. I like being alone, but I'm not good at it." 

Link smiled knowingly, "I know that, Rhett." Without a thought, Link gently hugged Rhett, embracing the taller man and closing his eyes. "I missed you, I missed having someone here, and I'm so grateful you've come." Rhett smiled and returned Link's hug, patting the younger on the back.

"I missed you too. A lot more than you think, probably." With that, they stepped out of the hug. "You should get some sleep. You look a little rough," Rhett's voice was soft, and Link's eyes met his. A look of care passed between the two and Link nodded, a smile forming on his lips. 

"Yeah, you're right," the grey-streaked brunette started before yawning, "You do the same. Good night, Rhett." Link smiled at his friend once more before heading off to his bedroom.

"Good night, Link." Rhett retired to the spare room in the basement he would be staying in until they found out how to get Little Link home. He lied down in the bed and closed his eyes, but he got no sleep, at least, not for a while. Too many thoughts were racing through his head still. This was all so bizarre. Yet, time passed and despite everything running through his head, Rhett's body succumbed to slumber. 

 

The next morning, Rhett awoke to the sound of someone walking down the stairs and knocking on the door. With a groan, the tall man uttered a few words groggily, "I'm up, I'm up." The door opened to reveal the bright face of Link.

"Morning, brother! Little Link seems to be sleeping soundly still, but I figured I'd take you all out to breakfast when he wakes up. Anyway.. Uh, may I come in?" Rhett nodded and Link walked into the room, closing the door behind him and sitting down on the floor, looking up at Rhett. At that, the taller man laughed and sat up. 

"Don't do that, you can sit on the bed. Goodness, Link." Link laughed and got up, sitting on the edge of the bed instead. 

"Okay, so I think we're gonna need to go out and get clothes and possibly diapers for him. I think he's in the early stages of potty training where he still wears diapers just as a precaution, but he's working on using a toilet. I will change all diapers and give him his baths cause he is still me, just, younger. If you're willing to just play with him, help him get food, that kinda thing, it would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and I'll go out and buy everything while you watch him after breakfast. I want him to bond to you and feel safe with you, not just me." As Link spoke, Rhett would nod along as he listened.

"Yeah, that's totally fine with me, man. Are you okay? You're acting a little... odd."

Link drew in a deep breath, his calm and happy exterior melting away. Eyes closed and hands folded together, the man seemed to draw into himself. He looked so small in that moment and Rhett's heart ached for him.

"Honestly, Rhett, it's weird. He showed up and, it's like I can hear everything he thinks. I can feel his pain. I hadn't remembered it, I mean, I didn't think I actually remembered experiencing my parents' divorce because I was so young, but now, now I can feel it through him. And it hurts. I'm trying to be happy, trying to remember things will turn out okay in the end, cause I mean, for the most part I'm fine now... But it's hard. It's really hard. This is the age I was when they divorced, and... I don't know. It's just... it's just not something I wanted to have to experience more than once." Rhett sat up fully and scooted over to sit next to Link. He wrapped his arm around the younger's shoulders and gave him a side hug.

He tried to speak, but he found no words that could comfort the aching heart of his brother. It was as if Link was fully experiencing this pain for the first time, and Rhett didn't know how to do. So, he held onto Link, letting the younger of the two know he was there for him and always would be. Leaning his head on Rhett's, Link closed his eyes.

"Thank you for listening. I'm sorry I've put you through so much."

"Shh, there's no need to apologize. Link, I've known you for nearly thirty-four years, things like this are no bother. I know you would do the same for me if I needed it." Link smiled a little at that. "And, I'm gonna do whatever I can to help him, and help you in the process. I think, it's possible he's here to help heal you. If we can heal him, we're healing you. We're essentially going back in time and fixing you."

Link looked up, meeting Rhett's eyes, his own wet with tears that he wouldn't let fall. "I'm ready, Rhett. I'm ready to fix me." Rhett squeezed Link gently and the two shared a gentle smile.

"Let's go get Little Link up and we can head out for some breakfast. And, let me treat you two." Link sighed playfully.

"Fiinnnee, but just this time." The two chuckled. "Seriously though, thank you."

"No problem. Oh, before we go, I do gotta grab some clothes from my house if I'm gonna be staying here."

"Right, we can do that." The two left, waking up a very tired Little Link and heading out to Rhett's house first. Little Link stayed quiet, holding Link's hand and hiding behind his leg the whole time Rhett ran around upstairs, packing his suitcase. The boy's heart was thundering in his chest as the giant man thudded upstairs. The sights, the smells, everything was so foreign to him, he just wanted to be home, he wanted his parents to stop yelling whenever his dad was around. He missed his dad. Mama had told him Dad and her couldn't get along and that dad wouldn't be around as much anymore. He didn't understand, but he longed for both his parents to be happy and together. The house they were in now was nice and smelled of a mix of essential oils and dog. And for the most part, the tall man seemed to be nice, so maybe Little Link didn't have to be scared of him. Older Link seemed to be comfortable with the tall man. 

Soon enough, Little Link could see the tall man come down the stairs, his hair was neatly skyrocketing into the air and he carried a duffle bag. "Okay, I'm ready to go when you are, brother." The tall man knelt down, getting closer to Little Link's height and looked him in the eyes gently, a delicate smile on his face. "Hey little guy, don't be scared. I'm Rhett, grown up Link's best friend. You're gonna meet me as a little boy when you're six." Little Link eyes the blonde giant in front of him warily. His eyes were a soft green, bright, but they looked a little tired. His hair was still weird-looking, but it suited the man. His beard was a little messy, but overall was neatly taken care of. But, he smelled good and he was nice, so the boy stepped out from behind Link and waved to Rhett.

"H-hi, I'm Link." Rhett smiled upon hearing Little Link's voice.

"Hello Link, my name is Rhett, and I'm your best friend." Little Link smiled and slowly stepped closer to Rhett. Stretching out his arms, the blonde let the little boy hug him. Rhett hugged him back and glanced up to see his Link smiling really big. Little Link trusted Rhett, that was important.

The three went out for breakfast and already, Link could feel his day to day anxiety slowly starting to melt away. Rhett was right, Little Link must have been here to be fixed, as best as he could be, at least. They returned to Link's house and Rhett and Little Link stayed home, playing together until they both crashed on the couch. Link returned home from shopping for clothes and other basic necessities for his two year old self to see the two sound asleep on the couch. He chuckled softly, his heart warming at the sight before working on putting everything away and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Rhett awoke when Link dropped the butter knife, having somehow slightly cut himself. 

"Ouch! Dang it." Link grumbled and reached down, grabbing the cutlery and stalking off to the bathroom where he washed away the blood, keeping his eyes closed to avoid getting light headed. When he opened them, he saw Rhett leaning against the doorway, arms cross with a stern expression, but eyes were light with humor. Link rolled his eyes. 

"I know, I know. I'm not supposed to use a knife. You were sleeping, I didn't want to wake you. Sorry." Link bit his lip, avoiding eye contact as his face reddened and grabbed a bandaid. Rhett chuckled softly and Link wrapped up his finger.

"Goodness Link, it's all right. You're not seriously injured. Just, be careful." Link spun around on his heel and faced Rhett, huffing exasperatedly and walking past him. Rhett followed and helped get the lunch together silently before waking up Little Link. "Hey big guy, you hungry for some PB&J sandwiches?" The little boy perked up and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Yeah!" He hopped off the couch and ran to the kitchen, sitting down in front of his place. The three ate their lunches and talked, laughing and telling stories. Little Link listened intently when the others spoke, quietly munching on his sandwich as his legs swung under the table. 

"Hey!" Link laughed. "Watch your feet, bud! You kicked me." Link's voice was light, but Little Link's smile fell anyway and he stopped swinging his feet.

"Oops, sorry uh... Big Link." 

Link smiled gently, "Hey, it's all right. I know it was an accident. You're fine, bud." Little Link nodded and smiled back.

"Hey Whett?" At that Rhett chuckled and smiled big.

"What's up, Big Guy?"

"I know why Big Link chose you as his best fwiend." 

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Cause you complete him just as Christy does too."

Rhett paused and glanced over at his Link. The man was smiling and looking down. He then looked up and met Rhett's eyes, shrugging with a smile. "I mean, he's not wrong. He's reading my mind. It's weird, but it's what we were talking abour earlier today. One mind between us, he's bound to share some of my thoughts from time to time."

"You were just thinking that?" Rhett asked, his apple cheeks showing as he smiled. Link nodded.

"Uh yeah, I was just reflecting on it now. How well we work together, and how quickly Little Link warmed up to you and trusts you one hundred percent already. You're uh, you're special, Rhett. I don't wanna get all mushy though, so yeah. Anyway, I think I should get Little Link to try on his new clothes after lunch and make sure everything fits and he likes it, so you're free to do whatever you want to, Rhett." 

Rhett smiled at how Link had changed the subject suddenly, but he understood and respected Link's wishes. "Sounds good, I think I'll do a little reading."

The rest of the day went smoothly, Little Link seemed to be enjoying his stay with his older self and his future best friend. Rhett made dinner and then cleaned up while Link read Little Link a bedtime story. After the boy conked out, Link got up and limply flopped down onto the couch, his body tired out, not used to the work of fathering a two year old anymore. He slipped off his glasses and closed his eyes, feeling the weight of his body sinking into the soft cushions. "Thank you for cleaning up, Rhett. You're a life saver." Link's voice was muffled by the couch, but Rhett could still figure out what the younger of the two had said. A smile graced his lips and he walked into the living room, now down cleaning.

"It's not a problem at all. You're tired, brother. You shoulder go take a shower and then get some rest. We've got another day of chasing a toddler for us tomorrow. You need your energy." Rhett watched as Link slowly raised himself to his feet and yawned.

"Yeah, okay. Thank you again, for everything. You've been such a huge help already. I'm gonna owe you big time when this is all over."

Rhett laughed quietly, "Oh you know it. No, I'm kidding, you owe me nothing. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be. I know you can handle a two year old. Plus, he's you. He's quiet. He's a good kid. I'll miss him."

"He'll miss you too. He really loves you a lot. I can sense his happiness going through the roof every time he sees you. Anyway, good night, Rhett. You get some sleep soon too, okay?"

"I will, sleep well, Link."

With that, the household settled down into quietness as each member was drifted off to dreamland. 

 

As time went on, Link watched as Little Link and Rhett got closer and closer, and he could sense his anxiety fading away more and more. It was truly a wonderful feeling. Little things just didn't seem to bother him as much. Though as great as it was, it also scared Link. For so long, he had dealt with anxiety, and as he reflected back on it, he wondered how it might change his personality. But as the days passed, this worry too disapated into nothing, leaving confidence and joy in its wake. Rhett and Link found themselves becoming closer, Rhett beginning to know more about what went through Link's head and watching as Link himself got better. Little Link was doing wonders, simply by existing in their timelines for a couple of weeks.

But as the time passed by, Link could tell Rhett was getting homesick. He knew the guest bed wasn't large enough for Rhett's colossal frame, and he see Rhett's eyes getting more tired by the day. Rhett just wasn't in the right conditions to be running around with a two year old each day, and as Link watched this, he knew he would make this up to Rhett. Yet, Rhett was still happy. He seemed almost constantly happy, despite his aching back and knees, despite his more frequent cramps in his chest muscles, and despite not sleeping as well as he would at home. And for this, Link wondered how the man was able to go on this way. When voicing it, Rhett simply shrugged and smiled.

It was a Saturday morning and Link was sleeping in later than he had since the arrival of Little Link. Rhett woke up early, showered, fussed with his hair, and went to the kitchen. In search of something to make for breakfast, Rhett noticed how bare the fridge and cabinets were. Link was never much of a shopper or a cook, so it wasn't a surpirse to Rhett that in the absense of his family, Link wouldn't go shopping unless he ran out of food completely.

After waking Little Link up and getting him to change and brush his teeth, Rhett wrote a note to Link. 

Link,

I took Little Link to the grocery store to get some much needed food. You can wait on breakfast if you want since I'll be making something for us all when I'm back. If you're too hungry, there's some cereal and milk. And if I happen to be back before you get this note, well then, kindly diregard it because I forgot to throw it away.

Rhett

Rhett taped the note to the fridge and picked up Little Link, taking him to Rhett's car and taking the car seat out of Link's car. He got Little Link strapped into the car seat and the two began to head to the store. Little Link attempted to sing to some of the songs, but he didn't know the words, so he made them up most of the time. Rhett laughed, listening to the toddler mumbling in the back. He was going to miss the little guy when he was gone. The thought made Rhett a little sad, but he didn't really mind. Little Link would go back to his own time and he had his own Link to spend time with. The two arrived at the grocery store and they enjoyed shopping together, Little Link grabbing everything he could, only to have it put back by Rhett with a laugh.

Link woke up around 11:30 am and hopped out of bed. His bare feet padded against the smooth flooring of his home. "Rhett? Little Link? You guys here?" Upon hearing no response, he walked into the kitchen, finding the note. His stomach rumbled and he wondered how much longer he would have to wait for Rhett to return. He decided it was worth it to wait and he hopped in the shower. Before he got out, the two returned and Rhett threw away the note as he put the groceries away. After making a nice breakfast, the two sat down, shortly joined by Link. "Good morning, Linkster! How are you doing?"

Link smiled, knowing what Rhett meant was how was his anxiety. "Actually, I can manage it now. It's still there occasionally, but, I'm okay. It's something I can handle easily enough. And, I feel free. Little Link is happier than ever too. I think... Oh no." Rhett's smile vanished and he furrowed his brows, heart starting to sink.

"What's wrong?" Rhett questioned, his voice serious and full of worry.

"Little Link has to go. His time here is ending. I'm all better and that means he is too. Look, he's starting to fade away." Rhett's eyes settled on the little boy, happily spooning scrambled eggs into his mouth. Link was right, he was starting to fade. Rhett stood up and then knelt down beside Little Link.

"You're gonna go home to your Mama now, Big Guy. I'm gonna miss you, a lot, but you know what? In four years, you're gonna see me again. I'll be a little boy like you. Thank you for coming, you helped me to heal my best friend. I'm eternally grateful for that. I love you, Little Link." Rhett wrapped his arms around the small, fading body of the boy and he placed a kiss to the top of his head.

Little Link smiled at Rhett and then Link. He waved his little hand. "I'm gonna miss you both. I love you too, Whett! And you Big Link! Bye!!" And with that, he vanished, returning to his own time. But Rhett's sorrow vanished with him. He looked up and Link and he smiled really wide. Link returned it and without Rhett expecting it, the younger of the two embraced him tightly. 

"Rhett, y-you healed me. You came and you gave me happiness and hope. You took away the sorrow and replaced it with warmth and care. You fixed me. I-I'm gonna be okay now." Rhett smiled, feeling his shoulder get a little wet as Link cried onto it in happiness.

"It was worth it. Every night I didn't sleep well, every ache and every pain, every time I felt like i could collapse from exhaustion, it was all worth it. You were worth it. Being able to help you in such an important way, it means everything to me. You're gonna be okay now, brother. You were right. Things will be okay now."

 

Within a few days, the men had their families return to them. They told them all the stories, showed them pictures and videos, but their families had a hard time believing it regardless. It is, afterall, difficult to believe a two year old version of your loved one showed up and stayed with with his grown up self and his best friend. And that he just so happened to show up just after they left, and vanished a few days before they came home. It all seemed like a made up story, a dream, or a joke. But, Rhett and Link knew it had happened. Even in their families didn't.

What they could see was that Link was better. His anxiety was something he could easily manage on his own now, no longer something he feared and needed help getting through sometimes. And they were all overjoyed at that fact. Christy even cried and hugged Rhett, knowing he had helped to make Link better, with or without the help of a toddler. Life was normal again, but Rhett and Link could, and would never forget the week and a half where Link's two year old self showed up, and fixed everything.


End file.
